Ben Franklin (PX-15) is the only oceanographic research submersible accessible to the public in Canada, and is an internationally significant vessel and a symbol of Swiss genius and American "can-do" initiative. Built in Luassane, Switzerland between 1966 and 1968, PX-15 was the brainchild of famed inventor and scientist Dr Jacques Piccard, who with his father, Auguste Piccard, pioneered the development of the bathyscaphe. PX-15 was developed with funding from NASA and Grumman Aerospace in the United States, reflecting Dr Piccard’s ties to the U.S. Government's "aquanaut" programs as well as the astronaut programs. Dr Piccard made world history on January 23, 1963 with Lieut. Don Walsh of the U.S. Navy when they made a dive in Piccard's bathyscaphe Trieste into the Marianas Trench, which is the deepest part of the ocean – seven miles down. Since then, no one has dived deeper.

PX-15 was Piccard's foray into the mid-range depths of the ocean. Rated to dive to 3000 feet (900 meters), the submersible was intended for extended "drift" missions that could last months. NASA was particularly interested in these missions as an analog for extended space travel, and Grumman, NASA's partner in the LEM (lunar excursion module, or the "lunar lander") as well as other components in the Apollo program, was keen to investigate the potential of the submersible for exploration of the ocean as well as a probable model for future spacecraft. Many of the parts and systems inside PX-15 are similar to an Apollo spacecraft.

The partially assembled PX-15 was shipped to Florida, completed by Grumman and named "Ben Franklin" for the American patriot and scientist, who was the first to note and chart the presence of the Gulf Stream. As Ben Franklin, the submersible embarked with a seven-man crew, commanded by Dr Piccard, on July 14, 1969, on a 30-day drift mission in the Gulf Stream, with a final destination of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, completed its unparalleled feat -- no research dive has gone for a more extended dive. Ben Franklin made a few more dives after 1969, including the first deep-sea dive for Dr. Robert Ballard, the discoverer of the wreck of the Titanic. In a recent telephone call, Ballard said he still has fond memories of the Franklin, as its large size and comfortable bunks gave him his best "sleep in the deep." Usually, submersibles are small, cramped and you spend hours in contortions with cold water from condensation dripping on you.

After running aground on a reef in 1971, Ben Franklin was sold to Vancouver businessman John Horton, disassembled and shipped here, only to languish for nearly three decades on the North Shore. In December 1999, with a sudden decision to either move or scrap the submersible, it was offered to the Museum. Private donations made it possible to retrieve Ben Franklin and all of the parts from North Vancouver, and place the sub in front of the Museum. Since then, the Museum raised funds and support to remove the peeling paint, clean and disinfect the interior (which was partially flooded from an open hatch and decades of rain) and now, in the last two weeks, to repaint and reassemble the sub.

The first phase of the sub's restoration is now complete, but work still remains to be done. The deck inside the sub needs a new layer of linoleum to replace the worn and mildew stained riginal, electrical cable needs to connect the sub and power up lights and equipment, and fibreglass repair on a few broken parts is needed. The thick Plexiglas portholes need to be cleaned and polished, and an acrylic dome to enclose the conning tower is needed.